The panel, set up by the Union ministry of human resources, will be headed by Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission and chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University. A former chairman of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Kasturirangan is also an honorary professor at Jawarharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Research, Bengaluru and is a professor emeritus at National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

The third panel member from the state is T V Kattimani, language communication expert and vice-chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak. He hails from Koppal district in North Karnataka. Sridhar said that efforts would be made to roll out a strong educational policy.Highlighting the need for changes in the system, Sridhar told TOI, "I am happy that I have been tasked with such an important work. The country's education system needs a lot of changes and as panel members, we will discuss these issues to come out with a strong policy."

The new panel will replace an earlier education policy committee formed by the HRD ministry under former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian a couple of years ago.Sources said inputs from the Subramanian panel report would also be utilised by the new committee.

References

Times of India, Three from Karnataka on panel for new national education policy

The Department of Primary and Secondary Education is going to a draft policy on the education for children with special needs. This will address issues such as access to school, teaching aid, teaching methodology, employing special teachers etc.

Indresh R., Deputy Secretary to the Government of Karnataka, said: “We deliberated on the need to train teachers and sensitize them so that they are able to identify children with special needs at an early stage. This would help in designing early interventions to the children that would help them.”

Currently, as per the Education Department’s records there are over 85,000 children with special needs studying in classes 1 to 10. Now there are two types of interventions. One is home-based education where volunteers visit homes of children with disabilities and teach them. The other one, school readiness programme, has a school set up at the taluk level where children with disabilities can attend classes. This programme prepares them for education in mainstream schools later on.

The policy is in line with the Rights of Persons with disabilities Act, 2016, which underlines the need for the government to promote inclusive education where students with and without disability learn together and the teaching and learning system meets the learning needs of different types of students with disabilities. The department will hold more such consultations before coming up with a draft.

Education minister launched the state government's education loan repayment support scheme at the Town Hall. Speaking at the function he said, if needed the government will provide more fund and all eligible students will be brought under this scheme.

The 900-crore government scheme to aid education loan defaulters in the state was launched in Kottayam on Tuesday. Inaugurating the scheme, Education Minister C Raveendranath said the government will consider allocating more funds to help the families who defaulted on the loans and were facing confiscation proceedings.

“The changing economic system, owing to the increasing divide between the rich and the poor, has a major role in putting people in acute financial crisis. Most students fail to get jobs on time after completing their courses due to problems in the system,” he said.

The government has earmarked Rs 900 crore for the scheme aimed at helping financially backward students. The scheme envisages government support to those who availed education loan for a period of four years.He said that the borrower alone cannot be blamed for failing to repay the loan.

The move comes weeks after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) warned private schools against turning into "shops" by selling uniform and books on their premises.

"We have told the schools that they should not charge unreasonable fees. The charges should be reasonable and there should be no hidden costs as that is the more irritating part for the parents," Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told PTI in an interview.

He said the CBSE has sought data from schools about their fee structure and increase in fees.

"Many schools have sent the data, which are being analyzed. Schools which haven't sent them, have been sent reminders and penalized," he said. The minister, however, did not throw light on the penalty measures for schools found guilty of overcharging and having hidden costs in their fee structure.

Overcharging by schools and increase in fees every year have been a subject of concern, often raised by parents

Bengaluru: The transformation of a government school which had hardly 70 students in the rolls to a school now aspired by many is the face-changing story of Government V.K.O School at Shivajinagar.

With over 100 years of history, the school that was officially inaugurated after a revamp worth Rs 16 crore, now as applicants streaming in, even days after the start of the new academic year.

The school now has more than 1500 students. “It was totally overwhelming that 7,900 students approached us for admissions this year out of which 1,569 were admitted,” said Syed Athar Pasha, acting Principal and Administrative Advisor.

Formerly known as V.K. Obaidulla Govt Urdu School, the institution at present offers education in various mediums including English, Urdu, and Kannada. “Students from the sixth grade and above are given two options to chose from – English and Kannada. From high school level, each student can pick up Urdu or Hindi as the third language, English and Kannada being the first two respectively,” Pasha explained.

With 42 smart class rooms, lab facilities, library, recreational rooms and dining halls spread across four floors at the campus, a visit to the school would make one relook at the stereotype of a government school. Sixty new teachers were hired this year to the existing 24 appointed by the government.The revamp was done by I Monetary Advisory Council (IMA), the charitable wing of IMA group. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mohammed Mansoor Khan, President of the Advisory Council affirms that the council seeks to provide facilities to the needy as its primary objective since its inception.

“The school which is located at a key area in the city with a populous community residing around was not up to the standard. With demand for quality education on the rise, a complete makeover was necessary for the survival of the institution.” He also attributes the basic thought behind taking up the project to state minister R. Roshan Baig, who is also an alumnus of the school.

The school is under constant surveillance with a total of 126 CCTV installed at various points, including classrooms. The school administration has also developed a smart phone application through which parents can monitor the developments of their wards at the campus.

Nearby residents are elated with revamped school and are keen to seek admission for their wards. “It is a blessing that a school with such facilities have started working in our area. If not this year, I’ll apply earlier next year to ensure my son gets a seat here,” said Majeed Salam, a parent. The renovated institution was officially inaugurated recently by CM Siddaramaiah.

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar with Shrishti Kulkarni (third from the left in front row, wearing a brown shirt and trousers), Joel Tony (in blue jeans and white shirt, next to the minister) and other winners of a national-level science contest in New Delhi. PIB

Photo Source: Deccan Herald

Two students from Bengaluru have won a national-level science contest organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-backed outfit Vijnana Bharati in association with Central government institutions.

The minister also felicitated 12 other winners of the ‘Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan’ awards for 2016-17. Each of the winners of the contest was awarded a medal and certificate of merit.

“Physics is my favourite subject. It just fascinates me because I feel Physics has answers to every problem,” Tony, who will now be a student of Class IX, told Javadekar, when the minister asked him about his academic interests.

Tony, however, kept his cards close to his chest about future plans. “I wouldn’t mind,” he said, when Javadekar asked him if he wanted to become a physicist.

Shrishti, who has been promoted to class VIII, told the minister she aspired to become a scientist. “I have interest in Mathematics and Science,” she said.

Vigyan Bharati organised the nationwide contest in three stages in collaboration with the National Council of Educational Research and Training and Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous institution under the Centre’s department of science and technology.

A total of 1.4 lakh students from 1,472 schools, including 264 Kendriya Vidyalayas, participated in the contest. Out of them, 14 students were declared winners. The contest was held for students of Classes VI to XI.